The subject matter disclosed herein relates to circuit breakers, and more particularly to electrical circuit breaker panelboard assemblies.
Electrical circuit breaker panelboard assemblies often include a primary circuit breaker and a secondary circuit breaker for selectively switching an electrical supply to the panelboard between a primary source, such as a utility, and an auxiliary source, such as a generator. It is necessary that the primary circuit breaker and the secondary circuit breaker are prohibited from being simultaneously in a powered condition. A mechanical interlock assembly may be employed to interconnect a primary handle operated switch and a secondary handle operated switch to prevent both handles from being simultaneously disposed in a position that results in a powered condition for the primary circuit breaker and the secondary circuit breaker. The mechanical interlock is typically mounted to a cover for the front side electrical circuit breaker panelboard assembly, such that removal of the cover results in removal of the mechanical interlock, thereby leaving the primary handle and the secondary handle exposed to potential simultaneous positioning in a powered condition.
Another issue associated with existing electrical circuit breaker panelboard assemblies relates to adequate retaining of the secondary circuit breaker, which is typically merely a plug-in type. For such plug-in types, inadvertent removal of the secondary circuit breaker is undesirable. Additionally, a recess is often present between the secondary circuit breaker and a branch circuit breaker, thereby exposing live circuitry. Such exposure may pose various hazards to nearby individuals and environments.